HeroLab Bug Report - 1.4

[CelticREI]

I'm going to do something a bit different for this one, I'll be trying to keep up with bugs and reporting those that don't get to the HL forums like the last one but with this one I'll also be keeping a link to the beginning of the latest bug reports. So like when Hero Lab updates to 1.5 or 1.6 I'll link to the first post in this thread where it switches from 1.4 to 1.5 or 1.5 to 1.6. Making this thread -much- easier to follow and not have to go through a ton of bugs that have already been fixed to get to ones already reported.

Likewise I'll see if I can't keep a list of reported bugs via this thread here in the first post, making it easy to see at a glance what has been reported thus far. ^_^

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Reported Bugs:

Area (Perception) should be capped at 2 'ranks' of the bonus mod (max of +2 per rank increase in cost) where as it currently allows unlimited increase.

[cassius335]

Area (Perception) should be capped at 2 ranks and then should only get the second rank "if attached to an already Sense Dependant effect", whatever the heck that means...

[CelticREI]

Area (Perception) should be capped at 2 ranks and then should only get the second rank "if attached to an already Sense Dependant effect", whatever the heck that means...

Ye are right on the Area Perception needing to be capped at 2 ranks (thus adding +2/r to whatever power it is on).

The "if attached to an already Sense Dependent effect" part means if ye have the Flaw "Sense-Dependent" on a power, such as:
Affliction (1-Dazed, 2-Compelled, 3-Controlled, Area (Perception), Sense-Dependent (Sight)) for a visual mesmerizing effect like one of the classic white and black spinny-wheel things where ye look into the wheel and fall into a trance.

Because it has Sense-Dependent (Vision) it -already- has to be seen to have any effect, adding in Area (Perception) means that now -everyone- seeing it if effected at once. It's kind of like putting Perception Range on a single target effect in terms of level of power. The reason they have it need two ranks is to make sure it is still a total increase in cost rather than a "no change" in cost (2 mods -1 flaw = 1 mod)

[cassius335]

Hang on... so if you have Area (Peception), adding Sense Dependant replaces the one built into Area (Perception)? Why do that, instead of just marking Area (Perception) as Visual, Audio or whatever?

[CelticREI]

Hang on... so if you have Area (Peception), adding Sense Dependant replaces the one built into Area (Perception)? Why do that, instead of just marking Area (Perception) as Visual, Audio or whatever?

My thoughts are that they did it like so to make sure people couldn't build a power with Area (Perception) and Sense-Dependent and thus gain an Extra/Mod 'for free' (as it would cancel each other out if ye didn't have to tack on that extra rank)

[cassius335]

Hang on... so if you have Area (Peception), adding Sense Dependant replaces the one built into Area (Perception)? Why do that, instead of just marking Area (Perception) as Visual, Audio or whatever?

My thoughts are that they did it like so to make sure people couldn't build a power with Area (Perception) and Sense-Dependent and thus gain an Extra/Mod 'for free' (as it would cancel each other out if ye didn't have to tack on that extra rank)

Except it'd be easy enough to just disallow Sense Dependant and Area (Perception) from being on the same power (which Area Perception's description makes a half-hearted attempt to do).

...Hmm. If I put "Sense Dependant" on an Affliction, Area (Perception) is greyed out ("Precluded by Sense Dependant"). If I put Area (Perception) on an Affliction, Sense-dependant is selectable, but doing so causes a Pre-Requisite error...even if Area (Perception) is set to two ranks.

Honestly, unless there's some advantage to having Area (Perception) and Sense-Dependant on at the same time instead of just Area (Perception) on it's own (other than Sense-depandant having that text box), it's probably simplest if it greyed out both ways (that's going against the rules as per the book, but nonetheless...)

[CelticREI]

Except it'd be easy enough to just disallow Sense Dependant and Area (Perception) from being on the same power (which Area Perception's description makes a half-hearted attempt to do).

...Hmm. If I put "Sense Dependant" on an Affliction, Area (Perception) is greyed out ("Precluded by Sense Dependant"). If I put Area (Perception) on an Affliction, Sense-dependant is selectable, but doing so causes a Pre-Requisite error...even if Area (Perception) is set to two ranks.

Honestly, unless there's some advantage to having Area (Perception) and Sense-Dependant on at the same time instead of just Area (Perception) on it's own (other than Sense-depandant having that text box), it's probably simplest if it greyed out both ways (that's going against the rules as per the book, but nonetheless...)

I'm agreeing with ye there, I'd personally just state that Area (Perception) has a built-in Sense-Dependent flaw already where the Perception part needs to be linked to a specific Sense, maybe something to bring up to the GR crew, officially see why they did it and if it is the same as my thoughts on the matter, suggest to them just to knock out both birds with one stone.

[cassius335]

While I remember: If you add multiple power sets to Variable, they default to on... which soon throws up an error for "too many power sets on at once" once you start adding powers to the set. Having the power sets default to 'off' would eliminate this.

Oh, and another one for the "That's weird, but I don't know if it's a bug or supposed to be doing that" pile: Why can you boost Powers with Energy Absorption, but you can't do the same with regular Enhanced Trait? Energy Absorption is built from Enhanced Trait, after all...

[CelticREI]

While I remember: If you add multiple power sets to Variable, they default to on... which soon throws up an error for "too many power sets on at once" once you start adding powers to the set. Having the power sets default to 'off' would eliminate this.

Oh, and another one for the "That's weird, but I don't know if it's a bug or supposed to be doing that" pile: Why can you boost Powers with Energy Absorption, but you can't do the same with regular Enhanced Trait? Energy Absorption is built from Enhanced Trait, after all...

I think it defaults to ON so that ye can see the changes the Power Setting is making to your character, but I agree that making multiple at once is annoying for the Warning is makes happen. Maybe a fix is that when ye make a new Power Setting it turns all others off? Not sure if it's possible but if it is that'd be awesome ^_^

The bit about Enhanced Trait is a good point... as it is it only allows to enhance advantages, attributes and skills, but Energy Absorption -is- Enhanced Trait: (the power it enhances). It'd allow for much easier 'boost' powers too, not having to make a ton of powers with "Stacks With" on them.

[Dunlar]

I think have found a bug with the Permanent flaw (-1/r). In the Extra & Flaws menu it displays correctly, but once added to a power it changes to (0/r) flaw and the power cost isn't adjusted by -1.

[cassius335]

I think have found a bug with the Permanent flaw (-1/r). In the Extra & Flaws menu it displays correctly, but once added to a power it changes to (0/r) flaw and the power cost isn't adjusted by -1.

That's not a bug, as such. It's automatically adding Continuous Duration onto your power (because Permanent requires Continuous Duration), but neglecting to display "Continous Duration" as one of your extra's, instead simply adjusting the final cost of Permanent.

You're not the first to be confused by that and I wish they'd change it.

[CelticREI]

I think have found a bug with the Permanent flaw (-1/r). In the Extra & Flaws menu it displays correctly, but once added to a power it changes to (0/r) flaw and the power cost isn't adjusted by -1.

That's not a bug, as such. It's automatically adding Continuous Duration onto your power (because Permanent requires Continuous Duration), but neglecting to display "Continous Duration" as one of your extra's, instead simply adjusting the final cost of Permanent.

You're not the first to be confused by that and I wish they'd change it.

They should have a note in the description of the mod that states it is changing the duration to Continuous and what the cost/bonus pp it would be based on what type of duration the power was before adding Permanent. When ye click on Permanent does it show that note at the bottom of the description to the right?

[cassius335]

They should have a note in the description of the mod that states it is changing the duration to Continuous and what the cost/bonus pp it would be based on what type of duration the power was before adding Permanent. When ye click on Permanent does it show that note at the bottom of the description to the right?

*checks* Nope.

[CelticREI]

They should have a note in the description of the mod that states it is changing the duration to Continuous and what the cost/bonus pp it would be based on what type of duration the power was before adding Permanent. When ye click on Permanent does it show that note at the bottom of the description to the right?

*checks* Nope.

It's something I brought to their attention not too long ago so maybe I spaced the version number and it's in the next update ^_^

Until then, so ye know the cost difference; The Durations go like so (Instant->Sustained->Continuous/Permanent) If the power is Instant, changing it to Permanent is a +2 per rank increase (So Affliction, costing 1pp per rank now would cost 3pp per rank as it's Instant), if the power is Sustained it would be a +1 per rank increase (So Concealment, costing 2pp per rank now costs 3pp per rank) and finally Continuous has a net increase of 0 as it gives a blessing and a curse (Ye don't have to reactivate the power if it is Nullified or Blocked, it just turns its self back on when first able to. But ye also can't boost it via things like Extra Effort)

[FuzzyBoots]

Instant -> Concentration -> Sustained -> Continuous with Permanent being a +0 modification to Sustained, I think it is. So moving from Instant to Permanent is a +2 to move it up two steps from Instant to Sustained and then a +0 to make it Permanent. From Continuous, it's a -1 move.